Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-07-20
HONEY BY THE TON.
Tho Cave or Sweets That Joseph Il. HaI
io< Discovered in Jersey.

Tho Cave OF Sweets That Joseph IL. Han.
io- Discovered in Jersey.
Joseph r. Hanning, young farmer liv-
ing near Littleton, is tho hero of Morri.
County, writes New Jersey CORE pond
ent OF the New York Nal and Express
HIS discovery of an odd and wonderful
cave full of thousands Of pounds of rich
honey Is the talk of North Jersey. Th,
cave is just off the main road from Parsip
any to Morris Plaius. Haning was
standing under the big bluff the other
day and happening to look up perceived 9
heavy mass of honey bees thirty fee
above him. A fcw feet further down the
bluff was another mass of bees. The two
swarms buzzed so loudly that it sounded
as though wind WAS blowing 1t did not
take Hanlng long to perceive that the
bees were passing in and out Of huge
holes in the rocks, and his curiosity
then turned into excitement and he
started for some friends il
order to investigate the strange sight
He got two young farmers and they went
10 the top OF the rock TO see if they cou d
find an opening. They had a lot of pow
der with them and attempted to blast ar
opening. Every time there was a blast
millions Of angry bees swarmed out OF
the recesses Of the rocks. until the farm
crs, even with bee hats and thick clothing
on. found it dangerous to proceed
New plans were thol adopted. Ladders
were brought and a charge of powder
was fired into the face OF the rocks, q few
feet beneath where the bees settled Their
the explorers went home and waited unit
the next afternoon before resuming theil
search. They discovered that they hac
made an opening thrcu IN a shell-like wal
into hollow beyond. A ricf
stream OF golden fluid wa.
trickling down the face Of the rock
This showed that some OF tho honey.
combs had been broken. Birthstone wa:
then pushed into the holo aud thea ignit
cd. The smoke soon began to drive ou
the bees by the thousands But the hone,
could not be obtained as yet owing to the
hive Of solid rock. Then young Haning
thought Of dynamite. He obtained SOM
cartridges, and the first cartridge tha
exploded bored q hole in the top of tn,
rock that revealed the entrance to what
was apparently a small, but empty cave
Lights and ropes were brought and thu
three farmers descended into an irregu
larly shaped cave, the size OF an ordinary
room. On all sides the walls were GOV
cred with great masses of no neycombi
several feet thick. The honey was Of vari
Gus colors and q ualities. 1t had beer
CLEANED from the whitest Of buck-wheat
blossoms to the reddest clover heads
On several spots the comb ran back like
veins into the rocks where the bees had
filed up the interstices The honey, in
many places, was very red, and wa,
spoiled by age and moisture. But in the
main portion OF the cave the honey was IL
perfect condition.
There was a curious feature about tn,
deposit The cave had apparently beer
divided up by several swarms of bees
and they had erected barriers between
the territory they had pre-empted and
that Of the other swarms. The barriers
were ingeniously- Constructed walls of
wax, nearly half an inch thick. The de-
posit Of honey is very valuable. Mr.. Han.
ing thinks there are at least several thou
sand pounds that can be removed and sold
at good prices.